State Rep. Justin F. Wood of Shawnee has filed legislation requiring the state superintendent to participate in regional meetings to facilitate his or her communication with education stakeholders throughout Oklahoma.

House Bill 1518 would require the state superintendent to conduct and personally participate in regional meetings in order to meet with and discuss education topics with local school board members, administrators, teachers and other stakeholders. The regions would align with current Congressional districts. Meetings would be held in each region once during the fall and once during the spring.

“I have spent the past two months visiting with public schools in my district,” said Wood, R-Shawnee. “The common complaint was the lack of communication between the State Department and school districts across the state.

"We understand the difficulty in visiting every school district. However, meeting once per semester in regions aligning with our current congressional districts is both necessary and easily achieved. This legislation will insure an appropriate vehicle to facilitate communication between the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the administration, educators, and parents of your local school districts.”